Regulated degradation of proteins impacts all cellular processes and helps remove damaged or misfolded proteins, especially during cellular responses to various stressors. Proteasomes carry out the vast majority of the degradative functions in eukaryotes and archaea, but in bacteria are only found in the actinomycete lineage. This proposal aims to characterize a novel putative protein degradation machinery present in a number of bacteria, using the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a model. This will be achieved through two specific goals: 1. a thorough investigation of the structure and function of this putative protease. 2. Demonstration of its importance in processes that govern P. aeruginosa infection. Given the importance of this organism in the pathology of wound infections, among the numerous infections it causes, these studies will uncover bacterial protein degradation pathways that control infectivity and thereby impact normal wound healing. This approach will enable the identification of novel therapeutic targets for human disease states caused by pathogens, like P. aeruginosa, that rely on these protein degradation pathways.